By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT TV
Taped July 21, 2021 in Orlando, Florida at Capitol Wrestling Center (WWE Performance Center)
Aired live July 27, 2021 on Syfy Network
[Hour One] Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, and Beth Phoenix checked in from ringside. Beth announced Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez appearing later in the show to address the state of the NXT Women’s Division. Wade Barrett hyped up Adam Cole vs. Bronson Reed for later on…
Entrances for the next tag team match took place…
1. Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher vs. Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan. Dunne and Thatcher started the match off evenly with catch wrestling. Thatcher went for an armbar, but Dunne reversed it into a heel hook. Thatcher got into the octopus pose to fend back Dunne. Dunne went for a Juji Gatame, but Thatcher reversed it into a half crab. Dunne used his feet to shove away Thatcher for another rest period. Ciampa and Lorcan tagged in.
Lorcan gave Ciampa a few chops in the corner which fired up Ciampa to deliver chops back. Ciampa fought Lorcan to the apron and took him down with a knee. Ciampa mocked Dunne with Dunne’s signature shrug. Thatcher tagged in and took down Lorcan with an elbow submission. Ciampa tagged back in and continued to dominate Lorcan. Ciampa mocked Dunne’s fists to his own face. Dunne tagged in. After running the ropes, Dunne took down Ciampa with a tough lariat. Ciampa and Thatcher took down Lorcan and Dunne and hit them with synchronized clubbing blows. Dunne tried to break Ciampa’s fingers, but he was tossed to ringside. Thatcher and Ciampa tossed their opponents into the ringside plexiglass heading into picture-in-picture.[c]
Dunne and Lorcan traded quick tags to keep the pressure on Thatcher. Thatcher and Lorcan traded stiff slaps on each other. Lorcan gave Thatcher his paintbrush slaps. Thatcher hit Lorcan with an enzuigiri. Ciampa and Dunne tagged in with Ciampa having the hot tag momentum. Dunne slowed down Ciampa and went for a Bitter End on him but Ciampa, but Ciampa reversed it with a Fujiwara Armbar. Lorcan pulled Dunne to ringside. Ridge Holland showed up in the hard camera crowd area to knock down Thatcher.
Dunne went for a matchbox pin on Ciampa, but Ciampa kicked out. Dunne hit Ciampa with the Bitter End for the victory.
Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan defeated Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa via pinfall in 12:51.
Ridge Holland joined Dunne and Lorcan in the ring. Thatcher ran in and got pounced by Holland. Holland Body Slammed Thatcher several times into the ropes. Dunne and Lorcan dragged Ciampa over to Holland, who hit him with a headbutt. The three heels stood tall to end the segment…
A Carmelo Hayes introductory vignette aired…
Samoa Joe was shown walking in the WWE PC Parking Lot. He was wearing a new “provoke me” shirt…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A fun match with two teams that mesh well in terms of styles. Both teams were oddly similar, with Ciampa and Lorcan being the stiff brawlers, while Thatcher and Dunne were the methodical technicians of their respective teams. Very cool seeing Holland back and moving after that scary injury he received a few months ago. Holland has a good look and strength, but his footwork has never been the best, so hopefully he’s improved at that. The storyline was that Holland was Pat McAfee’s hired gun, so it looks like he’s being put with the former Team McAfee members. Without McAfee, Dunne is the focus and NXT continues to protect him for some sort of big matchup down the road. Are they building up Dunne to be fed to Joe?
Isaiah Scott, B-Fab, Top Dolla, and Ashanti Adonis were shown backstage, clowning on Legado Del Fantasma…
Samoa Joe made his entrance to the WWE PC arena. Joe walked to the ring with a random folder in hand. Joe tossed a plastic table and chair in the ring as well. Joe set up the table and chair for a meeting.
John’s Thoughts: Ok… that was a pretty badass way to set up a table and chair for a meeting.
Joe got the mic and called out Karrion Kross for being a coward. Joe said he was being proactive in asking William Regal to join him in the ring. Regal joined Joe in the ring. Joe said he knows what Regal is about to do, fire Karrion Kross. Joe said he has a better solution. Joe opened the contract and took out a paper. Joe said the first paper was Joe’s resignation paper from NXT management. Joe said the 2nd wrestler would reactivate Joe as an active part of the NXT roster. Regal was reluctant, but he ultimately signed the contract that signed Joe to the active roster.
Joe noted he had a third paper. Joe said the third paper will make the Karrion Kross vs. Samoa Joe match official for Takeover. Regal signed that paper too. Joe’s theme played and Joe posed at the top of the ramp…
A Josh Briggs video package aired…
The announcers hyped LA Knight and Cameron Grimes on the golf course for after the break…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Simple and effective segment to set up Kross vs. Joe as well as reactivate Joe as an active wrestler. Cool seeing Joe back but It’s a bit odd they never really got anything out of him being an enforcer, other than have him have random staredowns with Kross, Cole, and Dunne (presumably to set up Joe’s upcoming matches). What’s even odder is if Joe was so close to being cleared to wrestle, why release him from the main roster? Joe vs. Tribal Chief Roman Reigns would be an amazing feud.
Footage from “earlier today” aired of Cameron Grimes and LA Knight on the golf course. Grimes was washing Knight’s [golf] balls. Knight asked Grimes for a driver, but Grimes thought Knight meant a person that drives cars. Grimes kept annoying Knight with random bets that he wanted to make with Knight’s golf swings. Knight was pissed off that Grimes was being so annoying and optimistic…
John’s Thoughts: I’m starting to like these Knight and Grimes segments. I expected initially that they were just going to have Grimes look miserable leading up to him being freed from Knight’s servitude, but I like the alternate approach of Grimes actually getting a kick and being positive about being a butler. In another note, seeing Trevor Lee and Eli Drake in a Jeremy Borash cinematic, made this segment feel like a TNA Impact segment circa 2016 (which was the good year of Impact Wrestling).
Entrances for the next NXT Breakout Tournament match aired. They finally aired the brackets for the tournament…
2. Josh Briggs vs. Carmelo Hayes in a first round match of the NXT Breakout Tournament. Briggs manhandled Hayes to start the match. Briggs sent Hayes to ringside with a backdrop. Hayes staggered Briggs and hit Briggs with a reverse springboard legdrop for a two count for Hayes. Hayes locked Briggs in a Guillotine choke, but Briggs used his size to prevent Hayes from locking in the move. Briggs took down Hayes with a shoulder tackle heading into commercial.[c]
Duke Hudson (f.k.a. Brandon Vink) joined the commentary table. Briggs hit Hayes with a power slam for a two count. Hayes escaped a power bomb with a huracanrana. Hayes hit Briggs with a few dropkicks. Hayes hit Briggs with a springboard side slam. Hayes escaped a chokeslam and hit Briggs with a Codebreaker for a two count. Hayes took down Briggs in the corner with a face wash kick. Briggs came back with a big boot and chokeslam for a good nearfall. Hayes escaped a Side slam and hit Briggs with two La Mistica Slams. Hayes hit Briggs with a leg drop to the back of the neck for the victory.
Carmelo Hayes defeated Josh Briggs via pinfall in 7:15 of on-air time to advance to the next round of the NXT Breakout Tournament.
Joseph told Hudson that Hayes will face Hudson in the next round of the tournament…
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Franky Monet last week about her association with Robert Stone Brand. Monet said there were so many things possible like her giving Robert Stone Brand more success or even her teaming with Jessi Kamea to go after the tag titles. Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter showed up to trash talk Monet a bit. After Catanzaro and Carter left, Monet called them annoying…
Joseph hyped Raquel Gonzalez appearing after the commercial break…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A pretty entertaining match that felt like a random match anyone can see at your local indy show. That’s not a knock against the talent or anything. Both guys did good moves and all, but the presentation of this Breakout Tournament has been so damn filler. Part of it is the start power, the last tournament had bigger names. Another part of it is NXT is just throwing these talented developmental wrestlers out there to fill TV time.
Back at the golf course, LA Knight was still trying to hit balls with his golf club. Grimes continued to annoy Knight with his commentary. Knight asked Grimes to get one of the balls that fell in the lake. After Grimes got the ball, Ted DiBiase drove up in a golf cart to chat with Grimes. DiBiase said people like Knight leave people like Grimes out to dry. Grimes said he’s just being a man of his word. DiBiase said that Grimes needs to step up and fight for what he believes in…
[Hour Two] A replay aired of Ridge Holland’s return to NXT…
The cameraman caught up to Ridge Holland in the parking lot and asked him why he attacked Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa. Holland said Ciampa and Thatcher aren’t the first people he’s roughed up, and they won’t be the last…
Dakota Kai and NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez made their entrance to the WWE PC Ring. Gonzalez took the mic and talked about how she crushed one of the most feared wrestlers in the women’s division. Gonzalez said she’s taken down everyone in the division and “who’s next?”. Gonzalez spoke in Spanish and said all she has to say is “keep them coming”. Kai took the mic and said that she tells people that Raquel Gonzalez is the most dominant women in NXT history, even more than Charlotte Flair, Shayna Baszler, Asuka, Rhea Ripley, and others.
Kai said the NXT Women’s Division is the greatest because of one woman. Kai said that Takeover is a few weeks away and “who is woman enough to challenge Raquel?”. Kai continued to hype up Raquel. Kai said there was no one. Kai said they’ve been through a lot together and as long as Kai has her back, Gonzalez will forever be champion. Gonzalez’s theme played. Gonzalez posed with the title in the corner. As Gonzalez got down from the top rope, Dakota Kai clocked Gonzalez with a Face Wash Kick to leave her lying. Dakota Kai posed with the title belt to close the segment…
Adam Cole cut a promo backstage to hype up his match against Bronson Reed…[c]
John’s Thoughts: The segment was a bit basic, but this was the ultimate endgoal we all expected involving the Gonzalez and Kai tag team. Hopefully we get some good brawls and video packages to lead up to this Gonzalez and Kai matchup. Kai has been one of NXT’s MVPs over the last decade, and this match can be wonderful if done right. I totally expect Dakota Kai to take the title belt off Gonzalez. That’s the easy prediction.
Footage aired of Io Shirai and Zoey Stark in an empty Performance Center. Stark said that she and Shirai should train together more and develop a friendship. Shirai kept trying to ignore Stark. Stark said Shirai just needs to trust her and Shirai agreed…
Mandy Rose was chatting with Gigi Dolan and Jacy Jayne backstage. Rose saw the creeper cam and told the cameraperson to shoo off…
Entrances for the next match took place…
3. Franky Monet and Jessi Kamea (w/Robert Stone) vs. Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter. Catanzaro took down Kamea with a crossbody for a two count. Carter tagged in and was shoved to the mat by Carter. Monet tagged herself in. Carter hit Monet with a kick and elbow. Monet came back with a DDT. Monet hit Carter with a meteora in the corner. Kamea tagged in and helped take down Carter. Monet tagged back in and was dominating Carter. Robert Stone tried to hand Monet a shoe to use even though Monet was winning. This allowed Carter to recover and drag Monet over to her corner. Catanzaro hit Monet with the 450 to give Carter the win.
Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter defeated Franky Monet and Jessi Kamea via pinfall in 3:28.
John’s Thoughts: Ok? This was a thing. Not the most entertaining thing in the world, but also not the worst? I wouldn’t have given Monet the loss here. She should be protected and treated as a glamourous powerhouse. My guess here is they are using this loss to eventually kick Robert Stone out of the group. But why have him linger this week anyway when they could have given him the boot when Monet recruited Kamea? I can see some potential with Kamea being Monet’s stooge, but I’m ultimately looking forward to when NXT puts Monet in the main event title picture.
Wade Barrett had a sitdown interview with Roderick Strong and Malcolm Bivens. Strong talked about how after he left UE he couldn’t break through the mental trauma. He said he ran into Malcolm BIvens who reminded him who he really is. Bivens said that Strong is a number-one of his generation. Bivens talked about pulling Strong out of retirement from NXT. Barrett said he sees Strong going after Kushida’s cruiserweight championship. Barrett said he also sees the next big match being between former UE members Strong and Fish. Bivens said Fish and Strong is a big money match. Strong said when he finishes Fish, “This is over”…[c]
William Regal, Paul Levesque, and Shawn Michaels were backstage where they announced that the postponed WALTER vs. Ilja Dragonov will take place at the next Takeover show…
The cameraman tried to catch up with Dakota Kai, who rushed out of the WWE PC. Wade Barrett said he thinks that Kai will become the next Women’s Champion (I totally agree)…
Entrances for the next match took place…
4. “Hit Row” Ashanti Adonis and Top Dolla (w/B-Fab, Isaiah Scott) vs. “Imperium” Marcel Barthel and Fabien Aichner. Barthel hit Ashanti with a pop up chop and a takedown. Aichner tagged in and took down Ashanti with an armdrag. Barthel trapped Adonis in the ropes, but B-Fab got on the apron. This allowed took down Barthel with a leg takedown heading into commercial.[c]
Aichner hit Ashanti with an Exploder Suplex for a two count. Ashanti took down Barthel with a tackle. Barthel used an ankle lock to prevent Adonis from getting to his corner. Aichner tagged in and gave Adonis an elbow drop to continue the isolation. Adonis dumped Aichner and Barthel to ringside. Barthel tried to run in for interference, but he was backdropped. Top Dolla tagged in and hit Aichner with a splash in the corner. Dolla hit Aichner with an elbow drop. Barthel broke up the pin.
Dolla tossed Aichner in his corner and tagged in Ashanti. Ashanti hit Aichner with a flapjack. Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza attacked Isaiah Scott at ringside. Top Dolla chased off Mendoza, Wilde, and Escobar. This allowed Imperium to hit a distracted Adonis with a European Bomb to give Barthel the win.
Imperium defeated Hit Row via pinfall in 8:56 of on-air time.
While dressed in suits, Legado Del Fantasma put the boots to Top Dolla after taking him down.
Indi Hartwell, Johnny Gargano, and Candice LeRae were bickering backstage. Someone delivered a caricature painting to Hartwell which had Lumis,Hartwell, LeRae, and Gargano as one happy family. LeRae and Gargano didn’t like this. Hartwell proposed a match between Gargano and Lumis where if Gargano wins then Lumis will have to stop pursuing Hartwell. Gargano agreed and Hartwell left to ask regal for the match…
Bronson Reed was shown getting ready backstage…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A loss that protected Hit Row while giving Imperium a win to keep them from being total scrubs. That said I think one of the Imperium guys needs to be swapped out for someone else to give them a bit more charisma (I thougtht Alexander Wolfe could have done that, but WWE got rid of him!
Back at the golf course, The Grizzled Young Veterans, James Drake and Zack Gibson, showed up to confront Knight and Grimes. Knight was still annoyed at everything Grimes did. Knight and Grimes made a bet with the GYVs over golf swings. Knight sunk his ball in the lake. Grimes got a hole in one, but not before being cartoony by hitting Knight in the balls and back of the head with the golf club. Knight didn’t know what hit him and Grimes told Knight that it was the GYVs that attacked him (Grimes didn’t know that he hit Knight either). The GYVs drove off…
The commentary team hyped up matches for next week…
Entrances for the next match took place with about 5 minutes left at the top of the hour…
5. Adam Cole vs. “The Colossal” Bronson Reed. Cole kicked at Reed’s thighs to start the match. Reed gained control after a simple shove on Cole. Reed hit Cole with a Military Press and elbow drop. Reed went for a superplex but Cole slipped away and superkicked Reed’s calf to knock him off the top rope. The show cut to Picture-in-picture.[c]
[Overrun] Cole had Reed in a knee bar. Cole slammed Reed’s knee to the mat. Cole took down Reed with a dragon screw leg whip. Cole dominated for a stretch, focusing his attack on Reed’s left knee. Reed got to his feet and took down Cole with a leaping hip attack. Cole escaped a suplex and hit Reed with an enzuigiri. Reed recovered and hit Cole with a twisting Death Valley Driver for a two count.
Reed ran at Cole, but Cole hit Reed with a running Shining Wizard for a two count. Cole hit Reed with a series of pump kicks. Reed blocked the superkick and shoved Cole to the corner. Reed hit Cole with a series of chops. Cole kicked Reed in the shin and then hit Reed with a Panama Sunrise for a two count. Cole went for a last shot, but Reed got to his feet and hit Cole with a lariat. After slamming Cole to the mat with a power bomb, Reed went for a Tsunami Splash. Cole avoided the splash. Cole kicked Reed in the knee and hit Reed with the Last Shot for the victory.
Adam Cole defeated Bronson Reed via pinfall in 11:15.
Cole did his Adam Cole Bay Bay pose at the top of the ramp, but was hit in the back with a steel chair by Kyle O’Reilly. O’Reilly shoved the top of the steel steps aside and suplexed Adam Cole on the bottom part. The show closed with Kyle O’Reilly standing tall…
John’s Thoughts: Decent television match, but not anything must-see. Part of what hurt the drama of the match was the predictability and randomness of the match. Everybody knew Cole was going over. They never really built up Reed after Reed’s title loss, and this came off as Reed’s swan song match on the NXT Roster as he gets called up to main. The ending segment sets up the rubber match between Cole and O’Reilly, presumably at the next Takeover show.
Overall, a pretty meh show. Nothing was horrible. There was nothing compelling either. The Samoa Joe return to active-competition was the peak and that happened for a few minutes in the middle of the show’s first hour…
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